In the Shadows of the Soul IC

[Hoorex]

Lou

He pretended not to notice Silien's hold on him, just in case he was reading the signals wrong. It's happened before, and believe me, it definitely makes the entire journey, or even adventure, awkward. He simply cocked his head to the side and looked up at Seven.

"I don't like this. Feels like even the damn trees are against us...."

[WhiteKnight777]

Seven begins to lead the group back in what you hope is the direction from which you came. The trees press close about you, and the shadows are clustered thickly beneath them, seeming to grow more oppressive and impenetrable with each passing moment. Rustlings in the undergrowth seem to grow now closer, and now farther away... stealthy paddings just out of sight sound like they are dogging your trail. Every now and then, a wolf's howl echoes eerily through the wood. They seem to be getting closer, but perhaps that is just a trick of the woods and your own fears? you hope that is the case, anyway.

Suddenly, as you come around a bend in the trail, there are two figures before you. Your horses begin to rear and buck at the sight, or perhaps the smell of them, or maybe it is something more primal... something that their animal brains can detect, but a sense that has been atrophied in more civilized beings such as yourselves. One of them is a tall, luminous female elf, with hair that falls to her waist in green, vinelike tendrils. She is beautiful, but it is a cold, unearthly beauty, and her entire stance speaks disdain for all of you. Beside her is a man even taller than she, but he is hunched over, hiding his true height. His form is filthy and wrapped in ragged, untanned hides, and the smell coming from him is rank and rotten. His mouth and hands are soaked with blood, and he grins a savage, evil smile, revealing the chunks of raw flesh still caught between his teeth. The children shrink and clutch at you as they appear, and Rainard's eyes grow wide. The woman speaks first, her voice seeming to come from the trees, from the air, from everywhere and nowhere at once.

It took you long enough to get here. Your amusement are not more important than your duties.

The man's head whips around, and he snarls at her.

You're not my mistress, witch. No one is. I do as I please.

The woman's brow furrows, and her voice grows colder and sharp, filled with icy imperiousness.

Nevertheless... you are being rewarded handsomely by the one who has... comissioned our aid. You will attend to your duties in a satisfactory manner, unless you wish to explain yourself to him

At this, the tall man flinches, and the woman gives a small, cold smile of satisfaction.

I thought not. Now, you know what must be done. Eliminate the interlopers. Save only the contact... everyone else you may... play with as you wish.

The man's expression changes to another wide, evil smile, and he licks the blood from his chops with gusto as he takes a step towards you. The woman disappears into the trees, and all around you can hear rustling in the underbrush. Great black wolves begin to step forth, growling savagely at you as they close about you in a circle...

(Rolls thread is here. Please use it to avoid cluttering the IC thread.)

[The_Snark]

Azathul

As the pair comes into view, Azathul drops from his horse, releasing its reins in favor of a better grip on his hammer. He is not accustomed to fighting from horseback, and will not become so now. He ignores, for the most part, the words as the elf-witch reprimands her savage servant, taking their delay as an opportunity to work himself towards the forefront of the group; the doings of foul elves are little concern to him.

The circling wolves are another matter. Moving to one flank, so as not to allow the wolves at the more fragile folk within, he orders, "Stay together. Form a circle; do not be drawn out." He suits deeds to words, taking up one of the sides and watching the wolves come nearer. Methodically, he adjusts his grip on the hammer as if at the forge; in his mind, the rustlings of the leaves and other forest sounds become the familiar sounds of the bellows. He begins to speak in a low tone, in slow, rhythmic Dwarven. "Menu serul ul-nal tulkhur-ul Khuruzaman..."

Spoiler

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Move to cover one of the flanks, and ready an action to attack the first wolf that comes in range. Power attacking for 5.

[dauphinous]

Seven

As soon as she sees the two people, Seven pulls her blade free of the sheath and actually takes the time to quietly strap it to her horse. Then she silently offers a hand to Lou and Silien to help either of them off the horse if they want it. Once one of them is down or both refuse the help, she steps up to stand with Azathul.

She makes a short, sharp hand gesture in her horse's line of sight and says "Gingersnap, defend." Her blade then is held in both hands, just enough to the side of her head to prevent it from obstructing vision, as she stands rock steady, awaiting the assault that she knows will come. Waiting is the least fun part. At least this wait will be short. "If any of you have defensive magics to lend, this is the time. Defense first, then offense after."

Seven eyes the feral man, giving him a snarl of her own in an attempt to draw his attention to her. With a subtle twist of her foot, and a near-growl escaping from her lips, she projects how very unafraid she is of him, and how easily she could beat him into submission with a mere flick of her wrist.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Rhiannon

When the two appear, Rhiannon shelters the children a little more closely. Her sword comes into her hand and she looks somehow afraid-- not of the enemy in front of her, but of something else. "Try not to get injured, please," she says to her companions.

She then begins to pray over the children, wincing visibly as she touches each child, an edge of pain or stress overlaying her voice as she continues to call down the power of the Blessed Flame to shield them from the approaching danger. After each prayer that edge becomes more pronounced.

(Casting Protection from Evil on each of the children, and dealing with the resultant backlash. I don't know how many spells she can get off before we enter rounds, so she may have additional action, depending.

+0 init.)

[Hoorex]

Lou

If there was one thing you could count on, probably the only thing reliable when it came to Lou, was his speed. With the fluidity of rolling waves, and the confidence that only comes from years of experience, Lou held his bowstring tightly within his fingers and let loose two arrows into the massive black shape of one of the wolves. The projectiles hissed as they pierced the night air, the sound only halted by the soft plunge into the thick flesh of the beast... well, at least that's what Lou thought.

"Normally, I'd vote that we talk this all through... but I really hate wolves. And it's always wolves. I would much rather get attacked by bears, or something exotic... like a lion. Yeah, seriously, I've never even seen a lion." he said to no one in particular. His words seemed to calm him, and it looked like much more of a self-meditation technique than anything else.

Spoiler

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Damage per arrow: (1d8)[1]+(2d6+3)[11]

[WhiteKnight777]

The wolves continue to slowly circle, something deep and powerful and predatory resonating in their red-tinged eyes as they slowly circle about you. You can feel the primal, animal nature of their stares. No remorse, no mercy, just the desire for the kill... and yet, this is more than the desire for food or security that drives a natural predator... this is something with a capacity for malice that only the civilized races posses. Whether these creatures are inherently capable of such malice, or whether it is an outside will guiding them, you cannot say. One of the beast lunges forward, then another. They seem to be aiming for your horses, and in short order all of the mounts but Gingersnap have been hamstrung and lie squealing on the ground, spilling their riders to the ground. The beasts do not have it all their own way, however. Seven's blade slays one of them. Lew's arrow wounds another, and Azathul's swift and deadly axe cuts down another of the fearsome creatures. But on they come, still circling you. The barbaric man seems to move with the same evil, predatory grace, pacing around the edge of your defensive cluster, looking for a way to attack the weaker members of the party. He leers wickedly at you, his face contorted in as he stares you up and down, moving ever closer... across his back he carries a massive battleaxe, a wicked looking, serrated weapon which he draws, even as he circles, crouching, watching, waiting for a weakness... He appears to be truly enjoying this, licking his lips hungrily as he surveys you. Meanwhile, the elven woman watches coldly for a moment, then disappears into the trees.

(Those riders with dead horses need to make reflex saves to keep from being crushed under their mounts)

[The_Snark]

Azathul

"Khura arzun calag-sulak..." Azathul's rhythmic Dwarven chant never ceases. The armored dwarf meets the gaze of the wolves steadily, hammer rising and falling as if working a forge. He holds his position; with the horses and some of his fellows down, a strong shield-wall was vital. "... tulkhur-ul Khurazaman..." Of all fine crafts, battle was the one in which precision mattered the surest. A lesser warrior struck wildly, relying on luck to guide his blows. With tools he did not know, he could do no better. Azathul knew the hammer and its strokes like his hand. "Bundhak nasul il-menu..." Perhaps better, for he had made the hammer, and not his hand. He meets the predatory eyes of the savage man as he circles around, too. "Am Khurazaman sartulnla..."

Spoiler

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Full attack, hitting the man if he comes in range and the wolves if he doesn't, and making sure he can attack any wolves that try to get past from his direction. Power attacking for 3; anyone struck must make a DC 16 Fort save or be sickened for a round.

[dauphinous]

Seven

Gingersnap lands heavily from lashing out and trumpets a challenge to these wolves that would harm her kind. Seven, though, remains quiet, adjusting her stance and keeping within a few steps of the dwarf. With her concentration on the fight at hand, the names of these people she has only lately met have left her.

She tracks the berserker with a small part of her consciousness. When he attacks, she and the dwarf will have to fight him together. Ergo, he will wait until they are separated to launch his assault. Take the strong first and the weak will crumble. It usually works. Unless you misjudge who is strong and who is weak.

"Flame girl, cover our backs. Archer man and elf woman, stay in the middle. Oddling, make yourself useful somehow." These are simply the words that her mind supplies to describe each of them without wasting attention on trying to name them properly or more adequately. "Let them come to us."

Spoiler

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Seven and Gingersnap smash!

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

(What sort of reflex save does Rhiannon have to make to keep the kids from getting crushed under the horse as well? And is the animal still alive?)

[Callos_DeTerran]

Silien

The elfess watched silently as her comrade in arms struck the first blow at the wolves and this...barbarian man who dared stand against them. Every leer that monster of a human disgusted her and she could feel the anger starting to bubble over deep in her gut. Awkwardly releasing Lou and clambering down off of the beast she had been riding, Silien eyed the two black wolves closest to the human and stuck her sword into the ground once more. The hand gestures weren't as well reherased this time but still came easily enough to her.

"Achicharrando Rayo." Came the tightly clipped words before she held out her left hand towards her sighted targets. A red light started to glow from between her shoulder blades as a tattoo of the rising soon light up...just as two bright yellow lances of burning energy leapt from her hands towards the two wolves closest to the beserker...and barring two suitable target, towardas him with the burning rays.

Spoiler

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Dismounting then casting scorching ray. If there are two wolves within thirty feet of each other and relatively close to the beserker, she'll target them. If there only one wolf then both rays will go to the beserker.

[Hoorex]

Lou

Thankfully, Gingersnap seemed to be able to handle herself just as well as any of the fighters here. Silently thanking the beast, as well as his own luck, he reached back for another two arrows and knocked them again. He had a safe spot to shoot from, and didn't see any reason of moving.

"I gotta say, though, the whole massive axe thing? Definitely over-played. I mean, I've fought the rebel who just can't seem to control his emotions, but they all carry axes? I mean, yeah, they're big and scary and blood flies everywhere when you hit things... but cliche? Chyaah..."

Spoiler

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12 damage per arrow aimed at wounded wolf/ 27 rolled on attack

[Axelgear]

Iacchus, nimble on his toes, jumps away from the carnage ensuing. Having seen this coming, at least in part, the small fey frowns as he realizes that, had he not come on this wild goose chase and listened to his instincts instead, he would be enjoying another pint of cinnamon-sprinkled cider back at the inn, and playing jokes on all the tavern patrons. Immediately, a spark of what could be called anger fills the fey-creature's eyes.

"Right! That's it! Time for wolfies to leave!" He barks, and it is followed by grandiose arcane gestures. His hands then cast out, and the wind momentarily picks up around him, tossing his hair about as he projects forth a terrible beacon of primal, almost unnatural fear.

((Casting Scare against the two closest wolves. DC 20 save or they run like madmen for 6 rounds as far away as possible. Even if they succeed, they're shaken.

Edit: Sorry if I held up the game))

[WhiteKnight777]

(Just a standard Reflex save.)

Two of the wolves yelp in fear, turning into the woods and fleeing as fast as possible, the shadows swallowing up their black-furred forms immediately. Another falls to an arrow, and a third takes one of the rays, it's fur burning bright, the reek of it filling the air. The ray of flame sent towards the man misses by a hair's breadth, his surprising agility shielding him from harm The man scowls, staring you down with pure hatred burning in his gaze... he whistles, and the wolves draw back, still circling you, but no longer attempting to break through... suddenly, he stops, as if an idea occurs to him, an he grins evily. He pulls a cluster of acorns out from a hidden pouch in one of his boots, his voice a savage snarl as he speaks.

Here's a little present... and now, let's see how well you run.

He tosses the acorns with a fast overhand throw, then slips quickly into the shadows of the wood, disappearing to your eyes. The wolves vanish with him, but you are quickly distracted as the acorns detonate into a hail of sharp needles. Most of you are protected by heavy clothing or armor, but the three children are pierced many times, despite their attempt to shield themselves. Almost immediately, their color begins to fade, and the two youngest, especially, begin to look ill.. the second youngest, one of the boys, speaks in a low whisper...

"I don't feel so good..."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Rhiannon

The acolyte puts her sword away and says a brief prayer as she bends over the children. She stops paying attention to the goings-on around her as her vision clouds over under the influence of the divine power running through her.

(Casting Detect Poison, and checking the children over for poison.)

[Axelgear]

For a moment after the explosion, Iacchus covers his face with his sleeves, protected by the glowing aura of force around him. In the aftermath, he opens an eye and looks about. When he sees what has happened to the children, he frowns but shows little more concern beyond that. Then, he suddenly catches on to a likely idea.

"It's a trap! Kills the childrens! Now! Whatevers has infected thems will either slows us downses, spread to yous, or transforms thems into some greater evils!" He hisses through his needle-teeth. He is not certain of such things, but merely being prudent. No enemy would do this without a reason. Upon transmitting his warning, Iacchus steps away from them quickly, and covers his mouth with his cloak.

[dauphinous]

Seven

"Don't be daft." Seven keeps her guard up for now. Relaxing at a time like this is just an invitation to be attacked again. "Can the horses be mended, or will we have to abandon them?" She only glances back to check on the rest of the group. And grins, because Gingersnap is fine.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Rhiannon

"If they're alive, I can tend to them," Rhiannon says, not looking up from the children, and sounding quite tense.

[Hoorex]

Lou

"Please explain to me why you are even here?! Listen, little guy, 'cause if I need to explain this to you again, I don't know what I'll do. We. Are. The. Good. Guys.", he says through gritted teeth. Each word is given a moment to settle in before he firmly plants another one down. He was resolved on the outside, but in these strange times, one could never be so sure. Could gremlin might actually have a point? No! Of course not, these were children! He couldn't harm them even if it needed to be done! They were defenseless!

"Got it?! If I gotta say it again, the horses won't be the only thing we're abandoning in these woods."

[Axelgear]

"Threaten all you wants, its makeses pointings outs that I tolds you so that much more funs later." Iacchus barks back. He clearly does not like being talked down to, something one would expect him to be used to by now. "Anyone who calls themselveses evil either is telling a jokes or the truths. Anyone callings themselves goods typically wantses to sells you snakes oils." He frowns and focuses his eyes grudgingly on Lou "I doeses what I haves to so I cans survives. If yous wantses to waste yourses on some childrens... I can'ts stops you." As Iacchus grows more agitated, his lisp becomes more pronounced, and he hisses out each statement.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Rhiannon

"If you don't want to be here, you can leave, then. But I'm not abandoning them. Not while I have breath in my body."

[The_Snark]

Azathul

Azathul brings his steady rhythm to a close as the wolves retreat, not flinching from the shower of needles; he has faith enough in his armor to protect him from such. Like Seven, he does not stray his gaze from the trees; a single moment of carelessness can ruin an entire day's forging even once the weapon was quenched. "Tend to the wounds quickly," he rumbles, still not taking his eyes from the trees. "We should not linger here." That should be evident to anyone, but from the sounds of quarrelling it was not so clear to his current companions.

[WhiteKnight777]

Those of you with magical senses can clearly tell that the children have been poisoned. The concoction is a unique, and is spreading throughout their bodies at a rapid pace. Curiously, it does not seem to harm the horses, though they are wounded enough. All but the mount on which Seven rides has been hamstrung, though thankfully none of you were damaged when you fell from your mounts, your horses continue to scream in pain. They are clearly unable to walk; If you cannot heal their wounds magically, they are sure to die. The children, too, are already doing poorly. The youngest is drifting in and out of consciousness, clutched close to the breast of the girl. The two elder ones are ashy-faced, looking at you imploringly. You can see shadows, weaving through the trunks of the trees on either side of the path, watching you. Deeper in the forest, you can hear numerous wolf-calls, bone-chilling sounds filled with predatory hunger.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Rhiannon

Rhiannon's face goes pale and she gives a resigned little sigh. "I'll be useless for a few moments after this," she says, a tremor in her voice. She bends over the children, starting with the youngest and praying over him. Once she finishes the prayer, she cries out in pain, her skin taking on a greyish cast. She repeats this for the other two children, looking more ill after each prayer before stumbling over to her horse and saying a prayer over it. She screams in agony as her prayer concludes, and her legs crumpled under her as the animal's wounds disappear. She drags herself across the ground to the other animal repeating the process, tears coming to her eyes from the pain she endures. After treating the second animal, she lies where she is, sobbing softly to herself.

(OOC: 3 remove poisons and 2 cure whatever-level wounds)

[Hoorex]

Lou

While he didn't know exactly what she did, it was obvious that it helped them while hurting her. A selfless act if he had ever saw one, he walked over and knelt down beside her. He didn't know if it was okay to touch her, but he placed his arms around her, trying to console the crying agent.

"C'mon, girl. You did good... just hold on, and we'll get you out of there." Then, turning to the others, the fierceness back in his eyes and color returning to his face, "Let's move, she's in bad shape."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Rhiannon

"I'll be fine in a few moments," she says, gasping for breath between sobs. "See to the children."

[dauphinous]

Seven

Keeping her guard up and attention directed outwards, Seven only hears a prayer, followed by a cry of pain. She spins, expecting to find a threat that has come in from behind and under their guard. Only to find...flame-girl apparently in some sort of religious throes. She lets out a light hiss between her teeth and turns away from it, intent on keeping vigilance until they are ready to go.

To ease the tension that is building up from standing around ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, Seven begins pacing around the group. Her movements are not entirely unlike the wolves that threatened before, and she almost wishes something would spring out and fight face to face. All this howling and unseen enemy crap is grating.

"Put the children on Gingersnap. She'll keep them safe. And let's get moving."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Silien

A cry of startlement as the nettles were scattered among them and pierced the children...Upon finding herself, relatively, unharmed she blinked slowly only to watch as the humans bustled amongst themselves and the one elf went to help the sobbing cleric. Why had the divine magic harmed her? ...It usually didn't...and now a mystery was presented to her, and one that was at the moment more interesting then the one of the children.

However to avoid the risk of sounding heartless she moved to the side so the injured apelings could be put up on the horse and said softly, eyes almost glittering in the gathering gloom. "Whatever we do...we must do it swiftly before the giant returns and we have lost the children and the one whom we have arrived to meet."

[The_Snark]

Azathul

Azathul turns with less speed than Seven at the scream, hammer still raised in readiness to strike, but turns away almost as soon as he sees what has happened. The human girl was weeping atop her horse for some reason, a pathetic lack of endurance and stoicism. This was no time to give in to pain or fatigue, no matter its cause. On the other hand, she was insisting they move on. Good metal in that one, he concedes grudgingly in his thoughts. For a human, at least.

Azathul continues to stand and watch the woods with hammer at the ready, outwardly ready to stand there until the trees grow old and die but inwardly ready to leave as soon as the others were ready. The constant noise and shifting of the trees were beginning to grate on his bones; he would gladly have exchanged them for the unyielding dark of a cavern, or even daylight. "The elf speaks sense. Let us move."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Rhiannon

After a half-minute or so, Rhiannon is able to get to her feet and hobble along with the others, leading her horse for now.